This invention relates to plant containers, plant pots, plant boxes and the like. The invention relates, in particular, to indoor container arrangements for plants, shrubs, trees which have a substantially vertical growth, stem, trunk or the like. However, the invention is also applicable to outdoor plant containers and to any plant container having a plant therein and having an area of the growing medium upper surface which is generally free of plant growth.
Indoor container arrangements for plants, shrubs, trees and the like are well known. The arrangements typically include an outer decorative container and a smaller inner plant container. The decorative outer container is designed to prevent damage to the indoor floor or floor covering, and the external surface of the outer container is usually designed to appeal to the eye or to blend in with the surrounding indoor furniture. The inner plant container houses the plant, is spaced from the inner walls of the outer container, and is usually of lesser height than the outer container. The space on top of the plant container arrangement surrounding the plant stem(s)/ growth and generally adjacent the upper periphery of the outer container is layered with coconut fibre. Thus the inner plant container is not normally visible to the observer. To water or feed the plant the coconut fibre is pulled aside or lifted, the plant in the inner container is fed and the coconut fibre re-positioned. The above arrangement is very common and has been used for many years, particularly in the plant hire industry.
It is an object of the invention to provide a useful alternative to plant container arrangements known to the applicant.
In one aspect this invention resides broadly in a plant container assembly for positioning within an outer container, the assembly including:
a lower container adapted to house plant(s) and a planting medium;
upper container means adapted to house plant(s) and positionable above the lower container adjacent the upper inner portion of the outer container;
support means for supporting the upper container means on the lower container and/or the upper portion of the outer container;
access means to provide access for a plant growth, stem, trunk or the like extending from the lower container, and
reservoir means for containing water and/or nutrient for a plant(s) growing in the upper container mean;
whereby in use the upper container means substantially conceals the lower container and planting medium therein.
It is preferred that the container means includes a plurality of container segments adapted to cooperate to substantially cover the inner upper periphery of the outer container and to define an aperture constituting the access means.
It is also preferred that the plant container assembly includes reservoir means for containing water and/or nutrient for a plant(s) growing in the upper container means, the reservoir means defining with the base of the upper container means a shoulder constituting the support means, the shoulder being adapted to support the upper container means on an upper surface of the lower container.
In another aspect this invention resides broadly in a method of substantially concealing a lower container and planting medium therein positioned within an outer container, the method including:
positioning above the lower container adjacent the upper inner portion of the outer container, upper container means adapted to house plant(s);
the upper container including support means for supporting the upper container means on the lower container and/or the upper portion of the outer container, and access means to provide access for a plant growth, stem, trunk or the like extending from the lower container.
In another aspect this invention resides broadly in a plant container assembly for substantially covering the periphery of a lower outer container housing at least one lower inner container, the lower inner container(s) being adapted to house plant(s), the assembly including:
container means adapted to house plant(s) and adapted to be located above the inner container(s) and located adjacent the upper portion of the outer container;
support means for supporting the assembly on the inner container(s) and/or the upper portion of the outer container, and
access means to provide access for a plant growth, stem, trunk or the like extending from the lower inner plant container(s).
The invention in another aspect resides in a plant container assembly including:
a lower outer container;
the lower outer container housing at least one lower inner container;
the lower inner container(s) being adapted to house plant(s),
an upper container adapted to house plant(s) and adapted to be located above the inner container(s) and located adjacent the upper portion of the outer container; and
the upper container means being provided with access means to provide access for a plant growth, stem, trunk or the like extending from the lower inner plant container(s).
A choice of plants may be placed in the upper container to provide an enhanced or alternative appearance when compared with the coconut fibre and the like prior art. The upper container need not necessarily include plants, it could contain a variety of materials, such as for example, wood chips or stones. The upper container could be periodically exchanged with a container of new/different plants/contents as desired.
The container is preferably adapted to cooperate with standard size plant pots/containers but may be of any suitable size or shape and may be formed of any suitable material. Preferably the upper periphery of the plant container generally conforms to the upper peripheral shape of the lower outer container so that the lower inner container is not normally visible to the observer.
Any suitable form of access means may be provided in the upper plant container to permit access of plants growing from the lower container. The access means is preferably in the form of an opening or openings provided in the upper container. Alternatively, the outer and upper containers could cooperate to define the opening(s). The size, shape and number of openings would depend upon the nature of the plant growth in the lower container(s). In the case where a single lower inner container has a plant having a single central stem or trunk then a single opening could be provided centrally in the upper plant container.
To facilitate installation, removal or exchange the upper container is preferably readily releasable from the plant container assembly. Thus the upper container is preferably readily releasable from the outer container, the inner plant container and/or the plant trunk, growth or the like.
Any suitable means may be provided to readily release the upper container. For this purpose the upper container is preferably formed of a plurality of container parts. In a preferred arrangement, the upper container could be formed of two readily releasable parts, each part having a plant container portion, and the two parts combine to define therebetween an opening adapted to permit access of any plant growth extending from beneath the upper plant container. The two half containers could be readily lifted and laterally separated when it is desired to gain access to the lower container or to remove or exchange the upper container.
The upper container may be formed with collapsible side walls so as to extend in concertina-fashion to form a ruff-like annulus about and within the top of the outer container.
The upper container may be provided with liquid storage means, such as a water well for feeding plants in the upper container. In one arrangement the upper container is provided with an upper housing for housing the plant growth medium and a communicating lower housing acting as the water well, whereby the well is located generally below the plant roots. Preferably the upper plant growth housing is in the form of a peripheral channel.
Indicator means may be provided to indicate the liquid level in the liquid storage means. In one arrangement the indicator means is in the form of a generally transparent chamber such as a tubular member, extending vertically and located adjacent an inner wall of the container, the lower end of the transparent chamber communicating with a lower portion of the liquid storage means. The assembly may also include variable release means for releasing liquid from the reservoir means.
The upper container may be located adjacent the lower containers by any suitable locating/fixing means, preferably readily releasable. For example, the upper container may be provided with seating means adapted to sit on a portion of the lower inner plant container and/or a portion of the lower outer container. In one arrangement the upper container is provided with an upper peripheral trough housing adapted to house the growing medium and a lower and narrower peripheral trough forming liquid storage means, the upper container seating means being formed adjacent the external junction of the two peripheral troughs.
The invention is not only applicable to the conventional indoor plant arrangement of inner and outer plant containers. The invention could also be adapted to apply to a conventional single container housing a plant(s).
Thus in accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided a plant container located adjacent the upper portion of a lower plant container, said container being provided with access means to provide access for a plant or plants extending from said lower plant container.